Passover Eggplant Lasagne

This recipe comes from a 1972 cookbook by a Jewish women's organization (ORT) that was published as a fundraiser for a vocational training program. It is like a church or synagogue congregation cookbook, only bigger, because recipes were submitted from an 8-state region. (My suggestions are in parentheses.)

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 3  tablespoons butter
• 1  large onion, sliced thin
• 2 -3  garlic cloves, minced (this is my own addition to the recipe)
• 1  medium eggplant, pared and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1⁄2 bell pepper, diced
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 16  ounces tomato sauce, divided
• 1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms (or 4-6 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced)
• 2  fresh tomatoes, cubed (or 1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved)
• 1  lb cream-style cottage cheese (4% milkfat)
• 1  tablespoon oregano (another of my own additions)
• 2 -3  matzos, broken in thirds (try whole wheat matzo for more whole grains)
• 6 -8  ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (my addition)

Directions

1. Saute onion in butter.
2. Combine garlic, eggplant, bell pepper, salt, pepper, half of tomato sauce, and mushrooms and add to onion. Cook covered, 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes.
3. Separately mix oregano with cottage cheese.
4. Grease a 2-qt (11 x 7) casserole and arrange alternate layers of vegetables, cottage cheese, and matzo pieces, and drizzle with remaining tomato sauce on top of each matzo layer. Begin and end with vegetables.
5. Top with shredded mozzarella.
6. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 25 minutes, or until cheese browns and sauces are bubbling. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.